Sweatin' to the Oldies

I put a bunch of low-impact fitness videos into our Netflix queue, so that about once every 4-5 weeks we'll get a new workout to try.

Sweatin' to the Oldies 2 came in this week, and I did the full workout. Well, I attempted it anyway.  I need to learn the moves. But I kept moving, which is what really counts.

It's still a little too much shoulder/neck impact for me. About 3/4 of the way through, I basically switched to walking at a fast pace, more like Leslie's workouts.  I did some of the floor/strength workout at the end and he does end with a good stretch.

If it was a Walk Away the Pounds DVD, it would be worth at least 3 miles. Anthony likes it, so I'll stick it in the queue for another day, but I am not ready to purchase it yet.

More Excuses

Late family chat resulting in 1 a.m. bedtime...

getting up at 9 a.m., having to leave by 10,

taking K and the boys to the doctor...
had to bribe Mr T. with ice cream but he did okay...

then it took forever to find an ice cream shop (and I was so good, I didn't eat any!)

it's easy to resist ice cream when your stomach hurts,

(one more excuse for not exercising today)

and then we got home by almost 3 p.m., and I had to pick up Missy L. by 3:40

and we got our project done, and I took her to meet her dad at dance,

(and a big hug from Missy M.) so I'm free now.

but I think I need the bathroom,

and the laundry is piled up because I haven't been feeling good...

but I WILL walk!  (6:40 p.m.)

8:56 p.m.

Never Mind! T. invited me to ride bikes and we went for about 40 minutes, and my legs are wobbly like jello so I guess it counts!  I love springtime!

A Day's Excuses

Yesterday I had great excuses to skip my exercise.

1. Planting flowers took a lot longer than I planned on.

2. I had to make lasagna for a family get-together.

3. Then I remembered I had promised a salad for a funeral and had to make arrangements to deliver it.

4. It was time to leave for the get-together. Oh well, we're going to be swimming, so I'll be okay. Plus we're going to be in the mountains, so I can walk up there. Packed the pedometer and walking shoes.

5. Went to change for swimming and discovered I grabbed the towel but my swimsuit wasn't wrapped in it like I thought.  Oh well, we'll still go for a walk. I forgot to shave my legs anyway and I think I'm getting a cold.

6. Watching the kids swim, bringing my grandson up to the condo when he got too cold. My walking partner's still hanging out at the pool.

7. K''s car is broken down, and Anthony has to run out and tow him in.

8. It's dinnertime now. I guess we'll walk after dinner.

9. D & H are leaving and need us to watch the kids. Anthony's running back to the pool with K's family anyway.  Ry falls asleep in my lap.  I don't want to move him.

10. Anthony decides it's time to go home because he has to come back up and tow K home with my car.

11. By this time, I'm really tired, and hungry again, so I sit down for a snack and get caught up in crossword puzzles. It's only a mile today anyway, so I'll be okay in a while.

12. Remember I have library books due. Gather them up and get T. to take them back for me.

13. It's 9:45 at night.  I guess I'd better get to it.  Oh no, it's a two-miler, not a one like I thought.  Start anyway. Get stomach cramps. They go away for a little while and them come back. T says small change is good. I tell him there's a dime in his dad's car.

14.  Stuck with it! Somehow! One more blue sticker, one more day not missed!

15. Next day....tired, have a cold...a good day for an easy outdoor mile. No way I'm doing the three I'm scheduled for. Maybe tomorrow. Takes until 2 p.m. to get the determination to go do it, and then mainly because Anthony came and asked me if I was ready to go.

A supportive partner is a big big help!

16. Got a Richard Simmons DVD on Netflix. Hope by tomorrow I'm up to it!

WHOO-HOO! I WON!

 I was going to write that I won the local fitness contest no matter what, because I feel so much better and I made some progress.

But I really won! First place for my age group!

Total weight lost: only 2 pounds. But this contest was based on body fat percentage, and I did well there. In 10 weeks I dropped from 40.1% to 31.2%!  

Fat Weight dropped from 78.5 lbs. to 60.5 lbs. Lean body weight increased from 117.5 lbs. to 133.5 lbs.

So I got home and got Dallen to take this picture with his new cell phone.

Cholesterol

14 months ago, I posted this:

• Total Cholesterol: 226. Normal is 0-200
• Triglycerides: 229. Normal is 0-150
• HDL: 36. Normal is 45-65
• LDL: 144 Normal is 0-130.

I also have low absolute lymphocytes: 1.10. Normal is 1.2-2.8.

Today I got the latest numbers:

• Total Cholesterol: 209   Borderline High
• Triglycerides 176          Borderline High
• HDL: 40.5                    Barely above low--Reference Range is 40-96
• LDL: 147.4                   Borderline High   <100 is optimal, 100-129 near optimal, 130-159 Borderline
• Calculated VLDL: 35.2  (20% of triglycerides, so last year was 45.8)
• Calculated Chol/dHDL (ratio) 5.2  Normal is 0-4.5, last year was 6.2.

Remember,  we want the HDL to be High, and the LDL to be low.  Less butter, cheese, and sour cream ought to take care of the rest of this. I just need to find good dairy substitutes.

I am so happy! It's not perfect yet, but I've made significant progress!

Pear-Shaped Body

I was looking at a magazine one day and commented to my husband that a certain style would not look good on me because I have a pear-shaped body. He responded: Oh, don't put yourself down!

I explained to him that magazines use those labels commonly to help you identify your body type and know what styles to wear and which to avoid at all costs.  Here's an example of why I don't wear things that are poofy or frilly around the hips. Something that calls attention to the upper body is much better for me.

Well, anyway, I found a total of 12 body shapes described by Trinny and Susannah.  They go beyond the typical pear, apple, triangle, block and hourglass (Think Marilyn Monroe, who despite what you may have heard, was not a size 16!) I decided that by their standards I'm more of a bowling pin than a pear.

I think I may have just found my next Halloween costume!

  

I got all my pear clipart here:  

Mental Breakthrough

Monday I put on a cute new outfit that accentuates my newly appearing waistline, and my flip-flops, and went off to run some errands. I felt slim and attractive--and later I went at my workout with new enthusiam. I can do this! I feel better! I feel more attractive! It can only get better if I keep up the effort!

This is lasting all the way into Wednesday!
I saw a friend along the way and I was glad I'd made some effort. It just felt good to feel good.